e-bay wedding dresses?????

Question

I am getting married in september and have yet to find a dress. We are paying for everything so budget is really tight.I have been looking at the dresses on e-bay and some are really nice. My question is this.How can a beautiful dress cost only about 50$ custom made? Seems to me cost is too low to be real. Dont have any money to waste and don't want to get scammed so was just wondering if anyone else had bought dresses off internet? How much did you pay? How was the quality? How did it look?
Any details would be appreciated.

Answer 1

I got my dress off ebay and I had a GREAT experience! The dress was beautiful, full with a train and intricate beading all over the bodice and train. I got it for $130. I had to have it altered (because I gained weight by the time the wedding rolled around), but I found a friend who did that for free. It seems like a lot of bridal shops sell their discontinued dresses on ebay (I think that's where mine came from - it was new with tags). Also, if a dress was custom made and the bride for whatever reason never picked it up, then the seller probably is just trying to get SOMETHING for it - hence the $50 price.

I would say, just be careful, make sure you ask the right questions. There are a ton of new dresses so I would try "NWT" (new with tags) first and see if you can afford anything. Make sure to check the seller's rating and feedback. If it's not NWT, then make sure it is cleaned, because after my wedding I was going to dry clean my dress and it was $170. yikes! Make sure you get measurements from the seller so you know if the dress will fit.

If you decide not to do ebay, getting a white prom dress or a white bridesmaid dress might be a good option. You can also check out thrift stores and consignment shops, but I found those to be a lot of old 70s style dresses (and the cost of dry cleaning might be an issue).

Answer 2

My friend bought hers on EBay, but it was most definately not $50. What you're probably looking at are dresses from China. The quality of the dress will be fine, but there are things to watch for. Make sure you take your measurements EXACTLY, watch the shipping costs (it's heavy and from China), and make sure you order with more time than you'd need if you were ordering from a bridal store (again, it's from China).

Also, make sure that you can find a seamstress who can make alterations (you will need them). Not many seamstresses will work on bridal dresses unless they work in a bridal shop, and you can only use those seamstresses if you buy the dress in that shop.

That said, I highly suggest just getting a lower-cost dress. Alfred Angelo is affordable, as is David's Bridal. Simple dresses are elegant, it doesn't have to be over the top. Also, if you're on a budget, the rest of your wedding should be more informal (much cheaper), so these simplier dresses would be perfect.

Answer 3

I bought my wedding dress of Ebay too because we had a tight budget as well. My dress cost less than $60, including shipping but I also had to dry clean it which was another $50. The dress was really beautiful, quaiity was nice and it looked just like the picture but if I had to do it again I would have stuck with a consignment shop in my area or gone to a David's Bridal and paid a little more for something I really wanted rather than something I had to settle for. Remember, you will look back on your wedding pictures for years to come, you will want to like your dress.

Good luck!

Answer 4

I ordered my custom dress through a ebay seller, it was a bit over 200USD.
It was amazing, even better than it looked in the picture, and they where so fast on delivering it!

My dress was sewn in Hong Kong, which I guess may turn the costs down a bit.

To be sure that you won't get scammed, only deal with reputable dealers.
Be sure they have a lot of feedback, and all/mostly positive.
If they have negative remarks read the notes to see what a person is complaining about.
For example, if something goes slowly through customs that isn't something the seller can do anything about.

If you'd like to know the name of the seller I used, send me a mail and I'll give it to you. I don't want to post it here as I don't know if it goes as advertising.

Answer 5

I dont know about buying a wedding dress of the internet, but I bought my bridesmaid dresses off the internet. We saw them at a bridal store and then I looked them online and they were half the cost. The website had bridal dresses as well, you should check it out ... houseofbrides.com As far as the ebay thing it sounds to good to be true. Also check out JCrew on the internet they have a bridal section that is inexpensive. I would also go to Davids Bridal. As always when ordering off the internet check out the return policy. Hope this helps

Answer 6

my soon-to-be neice bought her wedding dress off of ebay and was VERY happy with it..but you need to find someone with really good feedback and read some of the feedback..sometimes its not always THAT good. I'm on a tight budget myself and cant afford to be pushed into a 800 dollar dress sale so i did some research online and found this online store that has BEAUTIFUL dress and at a reasonable price...for example the dress i found at david's bridal..this place is half the price. and i've read all the feed back and they seem like they have been doing this for years and what you see is what you get.

www.bridalonlinestore.com

Answer 7

Girl, you'd be surprised. I have bought some much stuff on ebay at UNBELIEVABLE prices. I found a mantilla that in the store (SAME EXACT ONE) was $270 (david's bridal) online for $1.99. NOT KIDDING. If I were you, and the retailer is online, check out their website to see the dress first. And then make sure it hasn't been hemmed or altered that way you can do it yourself. :) GOOD LUCK!

Answer 8

Its true, you never know what you're going to get when you buy something online. But some of them are legit. I'm about to sell a wedding dress on ebay. Its never been worn, and its beautiful. I don't want much for it so I will be selling it for real cheap too! Some people are just trying to get rid of them cause of a bad memory or something and that's why they are selling them for real cheap.

Answer 9

it's probably priced so low because to the seller it's worth nothing, they can't wear it again. also you want to make sure that it has been dry cleaned be fore buying. if they wore it on their wedding day/night it's probably dirty, and it's expensive to dry clean. don't forget about alterations, what if they had it altered to their frame, you can always take in but it costs money to let it out. my advice is to go to a store that sells prom dresses. i bought mine at a place called Bella for only $85 no alterations needed.

Answer 10

I've also thought about it and looked at them, you are right some are beautiful, but I would worry about them not fitting or not looking like the picture. And how do you know what the dress would look like on you? It may be beautiful in the picture but not suit when it is on?